I have no personal experience; but I have observed the reactions of women fencing and learning the hard way that they forgot their chest protector when suiting up.

I agree, bad plan. This duel was with sharps with the intent to draw blood, so the usual “impact sensitivity” is moot. At least if you stab a boob you are less likely to hit an organ or artery. Man or women, shirted or shirtless, dueling with sharps is stupid.

I don’t understand why it wouldn’t. It’s a patriarchal society that rules that aggression is a double edged sword that men alone carry, saying “women are above that” is sexist and saying “society shouldn’t be violent” is useless in the conversation of sexism. If blockbuster action movies were perfectly diverse in their leads and just as successful as each other in the box office, that says good things not bad things.

If women aren’t free to do the same things as men - all the things, even the bad things - then women aren’t actually free. Women are just as capable of bearing the disapprobation of society as men are.

Plus it’s been lethally impractical all these years for society to actively train boys to be good fighters and then not only fail to give girls the skills, but also discourage them from getting them where they can.

In 2014, the elementary school where I work still split up the classes along gender lines for gym, and then also for ‘dance and judo’ the hour when boys went to judo and girls went to dance class.

While people debate whether male-ish people are naturally (sic) stronger or more aggressive, it is clear that society arms one group and leaves another totally vulnerable and exposed.

Yeah, I’ve always wondered the basis upon which society determines that women are ‘naturally this or that’ considering the extreme lengths we go to to predetermine the forces and experiences that shape them.